Yasmani Grandal went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Grandal put an exclamation point on a five-run fourth inning for the Dodgers courtesy of a two-run home run off Luis Perdomo. The backstop owns a .263/.313/.471 triple-slash on the year and has cracked 15 homers while driving in 43 runs in 93 games. Aug 13 - 7:21 PM

Yasmani Grandal is not in the Dodgers' lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Grandal has slumped to a .136 average in August (3-for-22) and missed a game earlier with back spasms earlier this week. Austin Barnes will handle the catching duties for starter Yu Darvish on Thursday night. Aug 10 - 6:36 PM

Depth Charts

Gonzalez, out since June 12 with a herniated disc, is batting just .182/.154/.318 through seven games on his current minor league rehab assignment. The 35-year-old first baseman figures to serve as a bench player for Los Angeles down the stretch and into the postseason.

Franklin Gutierrez (back) is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment soon.

The veteran outfielder has been on the disabled list since late June with ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory disease that can cause vertebrae in the spine to fuse. Gutierrez will likely spend more than a week playing in minor league games before the Dodgers consider activating him.

Andre Ethier (back) went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and a walk Wednesday in his third rehab game with High-A Rancho Cucamonga.

The promising news is he was able to play six innings in left field without his back flaring up. Ethier will likely join the Dodgers when rosters expand in September, assuming he can avoid further setbacks. The veteran outfielder has been sidelined all season.

He'll pitch a three-inning simulated game with around 45 pitches. Kershaw was hoping to begin a minor league rehab assignment but Triple-A Oklahoma City is away at Colorado Springs on Monday while High-A Rancho Cucamonga has the night off. The left-hander looked sharp during Wednesday's simulated game, facing Rob Segedin, Joc Pederson and Chase Utley. A late-August/early-September return seems realistic for the league's best pitcher.

The Dodgers said after Wednesday's game that Yu Darvish left as a precaution because of back tightness.

Darvish had thrown 90 pitches while giving up three runs (all on solo homers) in six innings, so there's no guarantee that he was going to get through the seventh anyway. The hope is that this will cause no further issue.

Rich Hill was taken to the hospital for precautionary tests after taking a pitch off his neck Friday against the Padres.

Hill stayed in the game after being struck by a Clayton Richard fastball in the fourth inning but went to a hospital for further tests after the game. X-rays were negative and doctors weren't able to find anything wrong with Hill, who said his breathing was never affected. The veteran lefty should be fine to make his next start Friday against Detroit.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Thursday that Brandon McCarthy's blister issue has been resolved, but the righty is "physically not synced up."

"He still feels mechanically that things aren’t where he needs them to be," Roberts added. McCarthy won't be cleared to begin a rehab assignment until he gets his mechanics in order. With all the rotation options the Dodgers have at this point, it's up in the air as to how many starts McCarthy will make down the stretch.

Scott Kazmir (hip) will make his third minor league rehab start Saturday with High-A Rancho Cucamonga.

Kazmir has allowed two runs on five hits and two walks in six innings through his first two starts, though he has struck out just one batter. He threw 53 pitches in his last outing, so he's still in the process of getting stretched out. The veteran southpaw has yet to pitch in the majors this year due to a hip injury and arm fatigue.

Grant Dayton (neck) said he's expecting to be activated from the disabled list on September 1.

Dayton will spend one week pitching in rehab games with Double-A Tulsa and the next week appearing in rehab games at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He'll then be ready to rock when rosters expand. The lefty reliever has struggled with his command in 2017 and the Dodgers have fared just fine without him, so a slow process seems like the wise process here.